James Brayshaw has pinpointed the sad part of Mitch Brown’s historic announcement, after the former West Coast defender became the first AFL player to come out as bisexual.
The 36-year-old made the landmark announcement on Wednesday with the simple but historic words, ‘I played in the AFL for 10 years for the West Coast Eagles and I’m a bisexual man.’
Brown, who played 96 games for the club from 2007 to 2016, decided to come out just after the league was slammed for its handling of yet another instance of a player using a homophobic slur during a match, with Crows star Izak Rankine banned for four weeks as a result.
Speaking on Triple M’s The Rush Hour with JB & Billy, Brayshaw highlighted the impact Brown’s sexuality had on his footy career.
He was speaking with ex-AFLW star turned commentator Kate McCarthy, who expressed her shock that Brown took the step against the backdrop of the Rankine scandal.
‘So Kate, the thing that saddens me, because everything you say is so spot on, is I’m reading here where he said the weight of hiding his sexuality played a big part in his decision to retire at 28,’ Brayshaw said.
Mitch Brown (pictured) has become the first AFL/VFL player in the almost 130-year history of the league to come out as bisexual
James Brayshaw (pictured) said it saddened him that Brown’s decision to retire at 28 was in large part down to the fact he was sick of having to hide his sexuality in the AFL
Mitch Brown (pictured) opened up about some of the disturbing comments he heard about gay and bisexual people during his time in the game
‘That saddens me.’
‘For someone to feel like they have to finish playing a game they love for these reasons. We’ve got to get better at this.’
Brown told The Daily Aus that the ‘hypermasculinity’ in AFL teams made it impossible for him to be his true self.
‘In the locker room and in the spas, the chats were all geared around “who did everyone pick up on the weekend?” Or, you know, “she’s pretty hot”,’ Brown said.
‘It was never once an opportunity to speak openly or explore your feelings or questions in a safe way.
‘I remember two people having a conversation around how they would feel having a shower next to a gay man, and one of the players said, “I’d rather be in a cage full of lions than have a shower next to a gay man”.
‘One of the biggest reasons I wanted to finish up playing AFL was to meet new people, to meet a diverse range of people, men and women, different cultural backgrounds, and I craved new conversations,’ he said.
‘I craved talking to someone and not being judged. I craved the ability to choose who I wanted to be around rather than to fit into a team.’
McCarthy, who is openly gay, said she ‘couldn’t believe it’ when she heard Brown had publicly come out as bisexual.
‘To be honest, JB, given the events we saw last with Izak Rankine and everything that played out, I thought we were miles away from anyone in the men’s program feeling comfortable – whether they were a previous player or a current player – to come out and identify as part of the queer community,’ she said.
‘I didn’t really believe it, to be completely honest, when I first saw it. It shouldn’t take courage for someone to tell people who you really are… it shouldn’t but it does.
Brown’s ex-wife Shae Bolton (pictured together) took to Instagram to reveal that she and their sons are proud of him for taking the historic step
‘It takes immense courage and immense bravery, nothing but [pride] and so much love to Mitch Brown for taking this step.’
Brown’s ex-wife Shae, with whom he has two boys, reacted to the news with a heartfelt post on Instagram that read, ‘Our boys will be proud. I am,’ accompanied by a heart-hands emoji.
He told Shae about his decision to go public before making the announcement and cried when she replied, ‘Good luck this morning. I’m so proud of you and behind you all the way.
‘This will make the world a slightly better place for our boy and young men in Australia … This is living the values of the kind of man I want our boys to grow up to be.’
Brown’s current partner, Lou, also voiced her pride in him for taking the step.
The Ballarat-born former star also explained that the effects of having to hide his true self for so long played a big role in his decision to retire.
‘One of the biggest reasons I wanted to finish up playing AFL was to meet new people, to meet a diverse range of people, men and women, different cultural backgrounds, and I craved new conversations,’ he said.
‘I craved talking to someone and not being judged. I craved the ability to choose who I wanted to be around rather than to fit into a team.’
